Putting the Pieces Back Together

Celiac.com 04/05/2022 - You have just been diagnosed with celiac disease. Wonderful! Now all your gastro problems, aches and pains and fatigue and food allergies will go away. All you need to do is maintain a gluten-free diet—NOT!

Many—if not most—of us who are gluten intolerant have quickly found our various health problems, sadly, do not go away simply by eliminating gluten from our lives. In fact, our health problems may increase over time. Many futilely and desperately search in vain for “hidden” gluten which they are sure must be present in something they missed causing them problems.

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If you are among the lucky ones whose health fully recovers after starting a gluten-free diet, great! The fact is, your gastrointestinal tract and immune system may have been under attack for years. Malabsorption is likely to have caused years of vitamin, mineral, and amino acid deficiencies resulting in damage to your body systems. You may have acquired various other autoimmune conditions along the way. If you are diagnosed over age 40, your body systems may be slowing down and not able to fully recover. The mix of beneficial bacteria and microorganisms which inhabit your gut may have become altered, depleted, or in complete disarray. Your stomach may no longer be producing a sufficient quantity of stomach acid, affecting your ability to digest food and absorb essential vitamins and minerals. Intestinal permeability and perhaps a thymus gland impaired by mineral and vitamin deficiencies may have resulted in the acquisition of multiple food allergies and intolerances. Vitamin B12 deficiency could have caused permanent neurological damage. Bones may have weakened. There may be weak, brittle and malformed finger and toe nails, skin rashes, bruising, and inflammation. Fatigue and muscle pains may be present. The list goes on. So what can one do?

Low Stomach Acid

After a diagnosis of celiac disease or gluten intolerance , you should first immediately assess if you have a low stomach acid condition. Low stomach acid or hypochlorhydria will continue to cause malabsorption problems and vitamin, mineral and amino acid deficiencies. Hypochlorhydria can lead to multiple food allergies. Low stomach acid also allows potentially harmful bacteria and microorganisms to colonize the stomach where they should not be at all. The stomach cells which produce stomach acid also produce a substance called “intrinsic factor” which is necessary to allow the intestine to absorb vitamin B12. If you have low stomach acid, intrinsic factor may be low and you may not be able to absorb vitamin B12 sufficiently. In this case, sublingual or “under-the-tongue” vitamin B12 tablets can be taken to improve absorption. In some cases, vitamin B12 injections are necessary to prevent pernicious anemia.

During digestion, stomach acid levels normally increase. The higher acid level results in a secretion of hormones which, in turn, signal the pancreas to release digestive enzymes and acid-neutralizing bicarbonate ions into the small intestine to complete the digestion of contents leaving the stomach.

Maintaining a normal stomach acid level is, thus, crucial for digestion in both the stomach and intestine. Low stomach acid is also present in the vast majority of heartburn sufferers, and improper digestion due to low acid is the cause of most heartburn. Taking acid suppressors for heartburn is exactly the wrong thing to do if you have low stomach acid. Taking an acid supplement to normalize digestion can actually prevent heartburn in most cases. An excellent reference on stomach acid is the paperback book Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Lane Lenard, Ph.D.

Low stomach acid can be treated by taking digestive enzymes and an acid supplement, such as betaine HCl, with every meal, likely for the rest of one’s life. There are many digestive enzyme formulations available, and the choice depends on your individual metabolism. I prefer the pricey but high-quality fungal derived enzymes from Enzymedica, and take one Carbo capsule with every meal. The Carbo formulation has a modest level of protease enzymes. High levels of protease can cause a burning sensation in the bowels in some people, including myself, which normally goes away after a few weeks of use. Since I am mostly vegetarian, my need for protease to digest meat and proteins is reduced. Betaine HCl is available in tablet form, or as 10-grain capsules containing powdered betaine HCl, which works faster. You need to adjust the number of betaine HCl capsules to suit your low acid condition, and this usually means taking more than just one or two capsules with each meal. The number is adjusted by increasing it until you experience a warm sensation in your stomach, and then backing off by one capsule. I take three 10-grain capsules with breakfast and lunch, and six with dinner. I buy quantities of 250 capsule bottles of Solaray High Potency HCl from a discount health food company over the internet at a very reasonable price. Enzymedica products can also be purchased at discount over the internet.

Treating hypochlorhydria greatly reduced or eliminated my allergic responses to numerous foods.

A quick and simple test for low stomach acid makes use of fresh baking soda. You should not be taking antacids or acid suppressors to perform this test. Stomach acid and baking soda react to form carbon dioxide gas. First thing in the morning, before eating or drinking, add one quarter teaspoon of baking soda to an eight ounce glass of water. Mix, drink, and start timing for up to five minutes. You should normally belch within two to three minutes if your stomach acid level is adequate. Rapid and repeated belching may mean excessive stomach acid is present. Late or no belching indicates low stomach acid. Acid levels can be confirmed by measuring stomach pH using a small radio capsule (Heidelberg capsule) that is swallowed, a test which some gastroenterologists or naturopathic doctors can perform.

Probiotics

Probiotics provide beneficial microbes to help replace and restore order to the bacteria and micro flora which reside in the gastrointestinal tract. Celiac disease, hypochlorhydria, immune system disorders, and accompanying gastrointestinal distress can wreck havoc on the balance and mixture of the beneficial and necessary micro flora of the gut. Low stomach acid permits entry of undesirable and pathogenic bacteria. Malabsorption results in an excess of undigested nutrients in the gut, feeding and promoting an overabundance of undesirable bacteria species. Taking a probiotic supplement helps to re-colonize the gastrointestinal tract with beneficial bacteria which, in turn, displace the undesired bacteria.

Probiotics come in the form of foods, such as yogurt and kefir containing live cultures of beneficial bacteria, or in capsule, tablet, liquid or powdered form. Choosing a probiotic may not be easy. Research on probiotics is a very young field, and which species of bacteria provide the greatest benefit remains uncertain. You may need to try a number of different probiotic products to find one that best suits your needs. A probiotic containing a mixture of a number of different bacteria species might be more likely to provide the bacteria combination that works for you. Ideally, a dose of probiotic should provide billions, 10, 20, or even 30 billion or more bacteria, to effectively colonize the bowel. Probiotic capsules which provide such a high dosage are expensive. A good yogurt or kefir is a much more cost effective probiotic providing many billions of bacteria per serving. Yogurt and kefir are both fermented milk products, but kefir contains yeast in addition to bacteria. Sensitivity to yeast is a common problem among celiacs, and, hence, kefir may not be suitable for everyone. Soy yogurt and kefir are also available if you are sensitive to dairy products. Some health food stores can provide yogurt and kefir made with goats milk if cow’s milk is a particular problem. Labels on some probiotic products warn that flu-like symptoms may result during the first few weeks of use and recommend a lower dose until the symptoms disappear.

Personally, I consume a plain yogurt, without gelatin or corn syrup, preferring Nancy’s Yogurt. I had a six month bout of diarrhea after a prolonged summer cold. I had been taking a probiotic capsule, and decided to switch to yogurt to provide a larger and cheaper dose of bacteria. The website for Nancy’s Yogurt, which contains six live bacteria cultures, was the only one which provided a bacteria count from an independent laboratory. Nancy’s Yogurt seemed to be instrumental in finally clearing up the diarrhea problem for me. I consume a heaping tablespoon of yogurt on each of two rice cakes every morning and two heaping tablespoons on my salad at dinner. Depending on the age of the yogurt, this provides up to over 30 billion bacteria per two tablespoon serving. I have also tried Stonyfield Farms Yogurt, which also contains six bacteria cultures, but the product is “runny” compared to Nancy’s firm texture. I have not yet tried Mountain High Yogurt, containing five bacteria cultures, which may be another good alternative. I suggest you contact yogurt makers about their bacteria content if you try other brands. However, such information is not always reliable.

Nails

Your nails are a barometer to your health and provide a good visual aide in recognizing vitamin and mineral deficiencies and other problems. White spots and poor nail growth can indicate a zinc deficiency. Thin, brittle, spoon or concave shaped nails, and ridges running lengthwise indicate possible iron deficiency. A deficiency in vitamin A can cause slow growing brittle nails lacking pink a glow underneath. Vitamin C, folic acid, or protein deficiency can cause hangnails. A deficiency of B vitamins causes fragility, with horizontal or vertical ridges. A deficiency of vitamin B12 leads to excessive dryness, very rounded and curved nail ends, and darkened nails. Splitting, thin, chipping, or peeling nails may mean low stomach acid or low sulphur amino acid. White bands across the nails can indicate a protein deficiency. Probiotics can help fend off nail fungal infections by displacing yeasts and fungi in the gut. A host of medical problems such as thyroid, kidney, and diabetes conditions can be indicated by various malformations and discolorations of the nails. For more on these medical conditions try reading Nail Abnormalities: Clues to Systemic Disease by Robert S. Fawcett, M.D., M.S., Sean Linford, M.D., Daniel L. Stulberg, M.D.

I developed a problem with nails deteriorating on the edges of the large toe nails and on one edge of the thumb and index finger of the right hand. In addition, for years I had a chronic periodic swelling and inflammation of the toes around the toe nails. When I began taking betaine HCl for hypochlorhydria, the nail deterioration seemed to stop, but there was little or no nail growth to repair the damage. Searching the internet for solutions, I came across websites which suggested that supplementing with MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) frequently resulted in increased nail growth as well as improved hair condition. MSM is a sulfur compound, and numerous health benefits have been claimed for it for which I cannot vouch. Sulfur is a component of keratin, and keratin is a protein important for the maintenance and growth of nails, hair and skin. MSM has a bitter taste, but it does not leave an aftertaste. The powder can be mixed with fruit juice, if desired. I began taking one half teaspoon of powdered MSM in a glass of water once daily, and soon noticed an apparent increase in nail growth after a few weeks. Encouraged, I began to take one half teaspoon MSM twice daily, in the morning and evening. I also began taking 500 mg L-methionine, an essential sulfur amino acid, twice daily. This increased nail growth even more, and, quite unexpectedly, within two weeks the chronic periodic swelling and inflammation of the toes completely ceased and has never returned to this day (I also noticed my hair seemed softer and had more luster, but, hey, us males aren’t supposed to care about such things). I started taking MSM in January 2003.

I’ve had a few relapses resulting in some temporary nail deterioration, especially during the six month bout of diarrhea. Consuming yogurt seemed to help clear up the nail problem as well as the diarrhea. I also now have further increased my take of MSM powder to a heaping teaspoon in water twice daily with no side effects noticed. After nearly two years my nails are almost completely normal and healthy. Only the slow growing large toe nails still show any obvious signs of the prior condition, and they are nearly fully grown back and healthy. I buy MSM powder in 35 oz (1000 g) containers at discount over the internet.

Vitamins, Minerals and Amino Acids

Our intestines have been damaged. We may have low stomach acid. We may be vegetarian. Our metabolisms differ. Our lifestyles differ. All of these factors affect how nutrients are absorbed and how much of each nutrient we require. Does that multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement supplying the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals really meet your needs? Remember, these are the amounts needed to maintain a healthy normal individual. You need to look at your own condition to determine the amount of vitamins and minerals you need. This is no easy task. I am still trying to deal with it myself. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some little meter we could poke ourselves with, much like the glucose meter used by diabetics, that could tell us which vitamins and minerals and amino acids were low and what and how much we needed to take?

After first being diagnosed with celiac disease, you are probably deficient in numerous nutrients. Once on a gluten-free diet, many of these deficiencies will return to normal levels. Some may not. In addition, some nutrients, such as vitamin B12, may not be sufficiently absorbed via the intestine, and must be take sublingually or by injection. Paradoxically, some of the very nutrients needed to repair the intestine so that it can absorb them are not being absorbed because of the damage to the intestine. Deficiencies may require higher than RDA amounts, at first, which must be reduced, later, to avoid overdosing. Without some form of testing and monitoring to determine our need for and levels of nutrients, there is no good way to manage our nutrient needs. I have already suggested that your nails can provide a clue to some deficiencies. Are there tests which can help us decide what we need?

Yes, there are tests which can provide you with serum levels of many nutrients. But these tests can add up and become very costly if tests are done for many nutrients and if follow up tests are performed. Some clinical labs offer package deals which might not be a bad idea for an initial assessment of your health condition. For example, many Web sites offer various nutrient blood tests. I do not think your insurance company is going to be willing to pay for a multitude of tests and follow up tests. A few well-chosen tests may fit within your budget. If you have the means, having the test information is better than not having it. Also, if you can find and afford a good doctor or clinical nutritionist or naturopath to work with you, so much the better. If doctors and tests are not within your means, self-education and trial and error is an alternative approach.

Besides books and libraries, the internet has a wealth of helpful websites on nutrition and nutrients. One of the best websites is the Linus Pauling Institute’s Micronutrient Information Center which provides an excellent source of information on vitamins, minerals and some other nutrients. This website also offer good information on vitamins and minerals: 
https://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/

Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are also important. 22 amino acids are used in human metabolism. Some amino acids can be synthesized by the body, but there are 8 essential amino acids which can only be obtained from diet. The following website provides a good overview of the amino acids:
https://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/cat_proteins.html

Additionally, you need to know how much of these nutrients your diet may be providing. The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference provides a comprehensive list of nutrients from a huge database of foods and food products. Just remember that the amount of a nutrient given for a food does not represent how much of that nutrient your body will actually absorb. In some cases, the food may have a very high nutrient content, but only a very small percentage will actually be absorbed because the nutrient is not in a readily absorbable form. 

By noting your symptoms and health condition and comparing them to symptoms caused by nutrient deficiencies, you may be able to determine or guess which nutrients you may be lacking. As similar symptoms can be caused by deficiencies of any number of other nutrients, the task is not easy. You may be able to correct the deficiency by including in your diet foods rich in the particular nutrient. You may need to take the nutrient as a supplement to insure sufficient absorption. You also must determine the dose of supplementation you require. In order to be able to assess whether the supplementation is improving your symptoms and health, you must add only one supplement at a time and make no major changes to your diet, and it may take days or weeks or months to note if the symptoms improve. This process can easily become tedious, time-consuming, expensive, and frustrating. If you have narrowed down possible nutrient deficiencies, you may opt to get tested for those particular nutrients.

Vegetarians also have special needs, as there are some nutrients better provided by animal products in the diet. The American Dietetic Association has a comprehensive paper on Vegetarian Diets which discusses these nutritional needs.

Vegetarians must make sure their diets are sufficient in protein (essential amino acids), iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin A, n-3 fatty acids, and iodine. Higher RDA levels and supplementation of some of these nutrients may be necessary to maintain proper levels. Malabsorption caused by celiac disease compounds the likelihood of deficiencies.

Here is an example of tracking down a deficiency problem. A symptom I have been dealing with is fatigue. I take a multivitamin/mineral supplement, sublingual vitamin B12, plenty of vitamin C, plus additional supplements. At first, I suspected adrenal fatigue and achieved some limited relief from fatigue by drinking salted water several times daily to replace lost sodium caused by an insufficient level of the hormone, aldosterone, produced by the adrenals which regulate sodium retention in the kidneys. But lately, salted water is not having much affect, possibly because my aldosterone level is improving. In addition to fatigue and lack of energy, I was experiencing episodes of daytime drowsiness while driving to work. In a self-experiment supplementing with tin in the form of stannous chloride, I actually seemed to have completely cured myself of daytime drowsiness. However, fatigue still remains a problem. 

Evaluating my supplements and considering which nutrient deficiencies are likely to cause fatigue, I noted that my multivitamin/mineral supplement provides only 10 mg iron. The RDA of iron for adult males is 8 mg and for pre-menopausal adult females is 18 mg. However, vegetarians face a lower bioavailability of iron from their diets. In meat, iron is available in a “heme” form that is more readily absorbed than the inorganic form of iron found in plants. Red meat and spinach both have a high iron content. 20% of the heme iron available in a lean steak is absorbed, but only 2% of the iron in cooked spinach is actually absorbed. The iron RDA for vegetarians is 14 mg for men and 33 mg for pre-menopausal women. Physical activity can also deplete iron stores. Sports activities, exercise, and heavy labor can raise the daily requirement for iron. Any bleeding causes iron depletion. A loss of one ml of blood results in a loss of 0.5 mg iron. Low stomach acid results in poor iron absorption, and intestinal damage from celiac disease often causes iron deficiency. Other dietary factors also affect how much iron is absorbed. Vitamin C consumed in the same meal as non-heme iron improves the absorption of the non-heme iron by up to 50%. Heme iron also increases the absorption of non-heme iron. Tea, coffee and certain types of fiber (eg. phytate) can inhibit the absorption of iron.

Taking a look at myself, I am mostly vegetarian. I have low stomach acid. My intestines may still be impaired from celiac disease, and reactions to food intolerances or allergies could also impair absorption. I sometimes experience loss of blood from rectal bleeding through an anal fissure as a result of bowel distress. I do a long series of stretching exercises every morning, and my work involves moderate physical activity. Suddenly, a supplement providing only 10 mg of iron daily seems totally inadequate for my needs. Iron deficiency could definitely explain my fatigue. Recently, I have begun daily supplementation of iron in the form of 28 mg iron from ferrous gluconate in addition to the 10 mg of iron I already take. It is too soon to tell if iron supplementation is improving my fatigue, but I do seem to be a little less fatigued. Hopefully, I will see continued improvement.

Food Allergies and Intolerances

Multiple food allergies often accompany celiac disease. In addition, temporary intolerances to dairy products and sugars may result from celiac disease. Enzymes which digest lactose and various other forms of sugar are produced in the lining of the small intestine. Production of these enzymes is impaired by damage to the intestine from celiac disease. Sugars and lactose are thus not properly absorbed. Low stomach acid, if present, also results in incomplete digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Damage to the intestine results in the intestine being less capable of absorbing nutrients. An accumulation of undigested sugars, and other nutrients promotes an overabundance of intestinal bacteria and other micro flora which feed on the ready supply of unabsorbed nutrients. The secretions and toxins generated by these micro flora can cause gas, discomfort, and other symptoms of intolerance and bowel distress. Intestinal damage also increases intestinal permeability or “leaky gut”. Undigested and normally harmless food proteins can “leak” into the blood stream and into other body systems where they may be identified as intruders, initiating allergic and immune responses.

I have come to believe that the thymus gland may also be involved in the acquisition of food allergies. The thymus is located behind the breastbone and is responsible for the generation of T cells, critical to the function of the immune system. Until quite recently, it was thought the thymus stopped producing T cells after puberty when the thymus begins to shrink. However, it is now known the thymus continues to produce T cells in adults and throughout life. Certain regulatory T cells help the immune system decide whether foreign proteins should be tolerated or attacked. If these regulatory T cells are not in sufficient supply, allergic reactions to harmless proteins may result. The thymus is particularly sensitive to malnutrition. Hence, malabsorption from celiac disease or low stomach acid may adversely affect the thymus and its ability to produce regulatory T cells, thus leading to or contributing to multiple food allergies.

Maintaining a gluten-free diet allows the gut to heal. In most cases, the intestine will again produce the enzymes to digest lactose and other sugars, and these intolerances may go away. Intestinal permeability will decrease, and food allergies and sensitivities may lessen. The thymus may also recover from malnutrition, if not too severely damaged. If you have low stomach acid, food allergies will continue to be a problem unless you take acid supplementation (eg. betaine HCl) and digestive enzymes with every meal. Some food allergies or sensitivities may not completely go away.

To help speed healing, it is probably best to avoid foods which are causing problems. If you have a reaction shortly after consuming the food, typically less than 30 minutes, it may be easy to determine the offending food. Some foods may cause a delayed reaction. It may be hours or even days or weeks before antibody production reaches a level high enough to cause a noticeable reaction. This makes identification of the offending food difficult. Elimination diets can be used to identify which foods are safe and which are not. Stick with eating a few basic foods that you know you can tolerate well, and then add suspected foods to your diet one at a time, allowing sufficient time—days or longer if necessary—to observe a possible reaction. Elimination diets are tedious. Some tests are available which can help to identify possible food sensitivities. These tests include the skin prick test, the RAST (Radioallergosorbent test), the ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) test, and the newest test, the ImmunoCAP® Specific IgE test (a fluoroenzymeimmunoassay (FEIA) ).

The skin prick test is performed in a doctor’s office, a prick for each allergen being tested, and can be expensive. RAST testing uses a blood sample to test for the amount of specific IgE antibodies present. ELISA testing also uses a blood sample, but tests for specific IgG antibodies instead of IgE antibodies (associated with true allergies.) IgG reactions can typically occur hours or days after encountering a food or antigen. The ELISA test can be useful in identifying foods which cause delayed reactions. ELISA tests which can test for 190 or so food sensitivities in one blood draw are available for a relatively modest cost. However, the reliability of ELISA tests depends on the laboratory performing the test, and results between different laboratories vary greatly. RAST test results also vary from lab to lab. RAST tests are being replaced by ImmunoCAP® tests. The ImmunoCAP® Specific IgE test is much more accurate and reliable than the RAST test, and test results are consistent from lab to lab. Costs for ImmunoCAP® or RAST tests can add up as the cost increases for each different allergen being tested for.

When I first put myself on a gluten-free diet after years of chronic diarrhea and learning about celiac disease, within a few days I had the first solid bowel movement I could remember in years. But the elation was short-lived. For months afterward, my bowel movement kept changing form from solid to liquid, and the chronic diarrhea kept reappearing. Then, finally, my first breakthrough came. The growing season for melons ended. When melons were no longer a part of my diet, the chronic diarrhea finally disappeared. I had made my first discovery that other foods besides gluten were causing me problems. I began to pay close attention to any reaction or bowel distress that occurred after eating any foods. Soon I was finding foods I had been freely consuming daily and all my life were creating reactions. Fruits were especially troublesome. In response to apples, pears, bananas, oranges, tangerines, hot chocolate, popcorn and more, I was sniffling, experiencing throat irritation, a general malaise, fatigue, and bowel distress within 20 minutes after ingestion. I started to eliminate these foods from my diet. Since, childhood, I have had a chronic throat-clearing problem, and, now, decades later, I finally learned the throat-clearing was due to a sensitivity to corn. I eliminated all corn and products containing corn from my diet, and the throat-clearing finally stopped. Every time I eliminated one food, however, I soon found myself sensitive to a new food. Finally it got to the point where I was reacting to almost everything I ate, even to potatoes and rice cakes. You can imagine the desperation I felt standing in the supermarket produce aisle, one day, hopelessly searching for something I could safely eat.

Meanwhile, on the internet I noted that some people were reporting that taking digestive enzymes had allowed them to consume foods they had not been able to eat for years without getting ill. Enzymes were theorized to breakdown proteins into pieces too small to cause reactions. That sounded reasonable to me. So I went to a health food store and bought some digestive enzymes, Enzymedica Digest, to be specific. Taking one capsule with each meal, the effect was immediate. I quickly found myself able to consume at least some foods again without reaction. All seemed to be going well for about a month, until I again started reacting to an increasing number of foods. Now what was I supposed to do?

Back to the internet! This time I learned about hypochlorhydria, low stomach acid. Back at the health food store, I bought betaine HCl. Taking betaine HCl and digestive enzymes with every meal once again caused the food sensitivities to go away—and this time stay away. I still keep melons, citrus fruit, and corn, as well as gluten, out of my diet. I rotate other fruits so I do not consume them on consecutive days. I find that new foods I have never eaten before can cause me problems. Montina (Indian rice grass flour) and sorghum flour cause me to have a sore throat reaction. I tried to add avocados to my diet, which I have never eaten before.

After eating a couple of avocados a week for a few weeks, I broke out in hives for the first time in my life, an experience I do not want to repeat. I guess the tolerance mechanism of my immune system is now so screwed up, my immune system will no longer tolerate the introduction of any new foods into my diet. As long as I stick with old dependable foods, betaine HCl, and digestive enzymes, I seem to be on the road to recovery.

Health Basics

While all or some of the above mentioned suggestions may help you fully recover from celiac disease, it is still important to remember the basics of keeping healthy—and that is to eat a healthy diet, keep the weight off, keep active, and exercise regularly. Celiac disease has been associated with diabetes, so it is even all the more important to keep those sugary junk foods and simple carbohydrates under control and out of your diet. In addition to improving mobility and muscle tone, exercise can just plain make you feel better and help keep your bowel movement regular. For years I have been doing daily morning yoga-like stretching exercises, becoming evermore flexible and able to obtain extreme positions as well as great balance control. I began the stretching exercises when I developed pains and cramping in my legs and it became uncomfortable just to bend my legs at the knee. My ankles would also easily buckle while walking up stairs. That was many years ago, and the leg pains and other aches are long gone. I am much more flexible now than I was as a teenager in high school. I find that the exercise almost always helps to induce a bowel movement.

Conclusion

It took me years to diagnose myself as being gluten intolerant and five more years to discover the steps toward recovery I have presented here. I am still not completely well, but, little by little I am improving. If I had not taken these steps, I would hate to think of the condition I would be in now. If I had had this knowledge years ago and acted on it—think of all the suffering and discomfort I could have avoided. It is my hope that you will use and find this information helpful to speed your recovery so your suffering will not be prolonged needlessly. Feeling ill is no way to live a life.